Swedish 'cocaine king' faces Spanish court

Share this article

Sweden's "cocaine king" was released from charges last week in Sweden. But freedom was fleeting, as the court decided on Friday that he will remain imprisoned while awaiting transfer to courts in Spain.

Jonas Falk, formerly Oredsson, has been in jail for the last three years after being arrested in Colombia for a massive cocaine smuggling operation.

He was sentenced by the Stockholm district court in March 2013 for his crimes, but he appealed the decision. His appeal was successful and on June 26th, 2014, the Svea Court of Appeals concluded that there was not sufficient evidence against him.

However, the ruling did not mean Falk walked free. Spain has demanded that he be delivered back to the country for money-laundering crimes, and on Friday the Stockholm district court decided that he will remain in jail until he is escorted to Spain on July 10th.

An important principle of law is that no person shall be tried for the same act twice, meaning Falk should not be charged for the "biggest ever" Swedish drug bust in both Sweden and Spain. However, Falk is wanted in Spain specifically for laundering drug money - a crime for which he has not been tried in Sweden.

Falk stands accused of investing drug money in a restaurant on Mallorca, a club in Spain, and a house near Barcelona. The arrest order states that Falk must account for a total of some €5.5 million ($7.5 million) he illegally transferred to Spain.